We have quite a few Purple Finches this spring and they tend more toward my little copse of firs than the Goldfinches that like to stay in the open of the back yard. This one came in to my freshly remodeled upper pool for a drink this morning.
BTW, this is the first shoot that I uploaded and am processing on my new computer. Even though the old one was a gaming laptop and pretty well tricked out, this desktop runs circle around it. It’s not a good time to buy (prices on components are getting outrageous), but my wife offered to foot half the bill for an upcoming birthday so I couldn’t turn it down!
Specific Feedback Requested
The bird is rather centered in this composition, but I hesitated to chop off that upper branch. What do you folks think?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
A7Riv, FE200-600 + 1.4 TC @ 717 mm,tripod with ball head and Sidekick mount from my permanent blind, f/9, 1/400, iso 1000, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. The sun was in and out this morning and this was an out moment so I brought up the exposure a fair amount in processing but i didn’t want to portray the scene as sunlit, so I chose this my stopping point. Cropped to 9266x6336. Taken at 8:42 this morning under cloudy skies.
Centered doesn’t bother me, Dennis. The branch fits well in the environment also. The setting is quite nice and the detail on the little finch is wonderful and, at least for me, the focus of the image. Love the remodeled pool. Enjoy the new computer. Nicely done.
Outstanding capture, Dennis. I really like your setup, and that green background is gorgeous. Is it just me, or do female Purple Finches look a lot like female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks? BTW, I just got a new computer, as well and it’s light years ahead of my old one.
Hi @terryb The green background is just out of focus grass. I let it grow high behind the pool but it’s still thin enough to give it that translucent look. I was pleased with the effect myself.
Lovely setting you have created, and there’s nothing no to like, the place of the bird in the frame works well for me! Congrats on your new computer ! Cheers, Hans
Your new pond set up looks great. Very natural appearance. The purple finch fits in quite well. Good job on pose, head turn, and plumage detail. You could crop a little bit in from the right hand side to get less of a centered effect. Maybe the most out of focus plumage on the right would blend in a little better.
! Cheers, Hans